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In this post, I will demonstrate the power of Cisco VIRL when it comes to an emulation of the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance. In future posts, I will demonstrate other images that are available.

This post was created using the latest VIRL version and ASA image available at the time of this writing. That is VIRL 0.10.14.20 and the ASA 9.4.1-200 code. Be sure to check the specific codes available as you read this, since VIRL is consistently updated as are the images it runs.

To get started, I create a new blank topology in VIRL:

I then select and place the objects I need and connect them in the topology:

Here is the result. Notice I use unmanaged switches. This is because I have no desire to practice or test the switch configs, and I do not want these to count against my 15 device limitation in the Personal Edition of Cisco VIRL:

Now I use the AutoNetKit to ensure that there is IPv4 addressing in place automatically, but I do not want any routing protocols. I would like to practice and test those myself manually:

It is that easy! I then click a button to autogenerate the base configurations I chose in the AutoNetKit, and then click a button to run the simulation. A right-click of one of the devices brings up my Telnet session to it!

We can now practice with this auto-addressed topology to our heart's content. We can save all the changes, or not, allowing ourselves a nice baseline for practice in the future.

It is at this point we begin to realize the incredible power of the latest emulation technology.

I hope you enjoyed this look at how simple VIRL makes ASA testing and practice. Again, please check back for more examples of powerful VIRL features and fun!

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